Sander



M y 10, 1949. F. H. MYSHRALL 2,469,930

SANDER Filed Dec. 31, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheeti v Riven/$02:

Rank H Mask/Pa El.

Patented May 10, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT 'DFFICE The Palmer Electric & Manufacturing (30., Wakefield, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application December 31, 1947, Serial No. 794,900

10 Claims.

This invention relates to sanders for vehicles such as motor vehicles, and aims to provide an improved "shut-on arrangement which prevents sand leakage, and to provide an improved agitator which presents no obstruction to sand flow. The invention will best be understood by reference to the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings of one specific embodiment thereof, While its scope will be pointed out more particularly in the appended claims.

In the drawings: v

Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in vertical section, of the improved sander;

Fig. 2 is an elevation, partly in vertical section on line 22 of Fig. 1 showing the shut-01f in its closed position; and

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the 'shut oif in its open position.

Referring to the drawing and to the embodiment of the invention illustrated therein as an example, there is shown a horizontal plate 5 which, in this example, is the bottom of a receptacle for sand or other grit to be discharged, under the control of the vehicle operator, upon the roadway in advance of a wheel or wheels of the vehicle. In the case of a truck having dual rear wheels, it is desirable that the sander be dual; otherwise it may be single. In the example shown, the construction is for a dual sander,

though one sand conduit and its shut-01f are omitted because it is deemed unnecessary to show both.

Sand 'or other grit supplied from the usual container is discharged through a member in the nature of a conduit 1, presently to be described, the outlet of which is controlled by a shut-off 9, presently to be described, which moves toward and from and normally rests endwise against the end of the discharge conduit to close the latter. In opening and closing the conduit, there is no sliding or other rubbing action of the shut-off and the conduit. This desirable feature is supplemented by another desirable feature presently to be described.

Heretofore, in the operation of sanders, much trouble has been experienced because of accidental discharge of sand, sometimes amounting to the loss of the entire supply, with consequent failure of the sander when it is most needed. Heretofore, this fault has been recognized and attempts have been made to solve the problem but with only partial success and even total failure. The problem is completely solved by the construction now to be described which has withstood prolonged operation without failure.

This important result has been accomplished by providing the discharge conduit 1 with a flexible terminal portion l I made of appropriate material, such as rubber, for example, which flexes and bends and collapses endwise somewhat like an accordion, for example (see Fig. 2), and thus restores and securely maintains 'at all times a perfect seal preventing accidental "dribbling of sand which otherwise exhausts the supply.

One convenient way of providing the discharge conduit with a flexible terminal portion, as well as to make the discharge conduit itself flexible so that it may be flexed laterally, as presently described, is to 'maketh'e'conduit itself of rubber, or rubber-like material, and to make the lower terminal portion H as an integral and relatively thin part thereof by molding in one piece, while the upper end is provided with'an integral flange l3 rigidly related to the bottom plate 5 as hereinafter described.

If desired, there may be employed a suitable agitator such as the agitator l5, conveniently made of wire, having an inverted U-shaped form with arms I! extendin downwardly through holes l9 and suitably attached as by an encircling collar 2i to the resilient discharge conduit 1 so as to partake of a lateral flexing of the conduit by mechanism presently to 'be described.

In this example, the collar is conveniently attached to the conduit as by providing the latter with an annular groove 23 (see Fig. 2) in which the collar is received, as by placing the collar in a mold in which the rubber is molded with the collar in place. In the present example, the arms ll of the agitator I5 are afiixed to the collarZl and above the latter are received in grooves 25 formed in ribs 21 on the exterior of the conduit 1.

In the present example, the desired lateral flexing of the conduit itself is conveniently accomplished as by a rotating cam 29 affixed to the adjacent end of a shaft 3| (see Fig. 1) rocking in bearing brackets, one of which is shown at 33, affixed to the plate 5. This shaft, in the present embodiment, also serves as a convenient means for rocking the shut-off 9 from the closed position shown in Fig, 2 to the open position shown in Fig. 3, by simply affixing the shut-off to the shaft. It will be observed in Fig. 3 that this opening movement of the shut-off is accompanied by lateral flexing of the conduit itself under the influence of the cam. When the cam, during its rotation, recedes, the resiliency of the conduit itself serves to restore the conduit and the agitator to the initial position.

Rocking of the shaft 3| is conveniently accomplished as by an arm 35 (see Fig. 2) affixed to the shaft. In the present example, this arm is double (see Fig. 1) to straddle an appropriate actuator 31 by which the arm is swung to and fro, and the connection between the actuator and the arm is a pivot in the nature of a stud 39 passing through both. If, as in the present example, the actuator has a vertical movement and does not move laterally, the actuator has a horizontal slot All in which the stud 39 plays to and fro as the actuator moves vertically. To make sure that any slight accidental up and down movement of the actuator does not swing the arm 35 and move the shut-off H, the slot 4| is widened or enlarged as at 43. Thus, a considerable and intentional vertical movement of the actuator is necessary to move the arm.

One convenient means for producing the vertical movement of the actuator is an arrangement including a vertically movable plunger 55 slotted to receive the actuator and suitably affixed thereto as by pins 47! passing through both. This plunger may be, for example, the movable core or armature of a solenoid having a housing 49 suitably afiixed as by welding to the plate 5, in which case energization of the solenoid will lift the plunger and thus rock the'shait. Restoration of the parts to normal position may be accomplished, for example, by a spring 52, the one shown being helically coiled about the shaft 3| and affixed at one end to the bearing bracket 33 and at the other end to the shaft or to the shut-oil and tending to lift the latter to the position shown in Fig. 2.

As stated, the supporting plate may be the bottom of the sand receptacle suitably carried by the vehicle, and in such case the plate has an opening 53 for a funnel-shaped portion 55 of the conduit 1 to facilitate flow of the sand, and the flange I3 is reinforced by and rendered rigid (see Figs. 2 and 3) as by a clamping ring 56 and screws 51 passing through the flange and the ring and threaded into the plate 5 about the opening 53.

In the present example, the shut-ofl 9, instead of being a mere flat valve, sometimes termed a flap-valve, (as it well might be) is in the nature of a cup having a lip or rim 59 about the conduit 1 but some distance away and serving to retain some sand or grit about the flexible and collapsible terminal portion ll of the conduit.

Having thus described one embodiment of invention, what I claim is:

1. In a sander for vehicles, the combination of a conduit through which the sand is discharged,

the

said conduit having a flexible terminal portion at its outlet, and a closure which normally closes said outlet and rests endwise against and flexes said terminal portion.

2. In a sander for vehicles, the combination of a flexible discharge conduit having an outlet for the sand, and a closure member which normally closes said outlet and flexes said conduit.

3. In a sander for vehicles, the combination of a conduit member for the sand, and a closure member having endwise engagement therewith, one of said members being made of material which flexes when one contacts with and separates from the other.

4. In a sander for vehicles, the combination of a conduit for sand, having a flexible, resilient, endwise-collapsible, terminal portion, and a shutoff arranged to press endwise against said terminal portion to cause the latter to conform to the shut-oft.

5. In a sander for vehicles, the combination of a conduit for sand, the same having a flexible terminal portion, and a second flexible portion, a shut-off which engages and flexes said terminal portion, and means to cause flexing of said second portion and lateral movement of said conduit.

6. In a sander for vehicles, the combination of a laterally movable conduit for sand, a flexible terminal on said conduit, means to flex said terminal portion and to close said conduit, and means to move said conduit laterally.

'7. In a sander for vehicles, the combination of a flexible conduit for sand, said conduit having a flexible terminal portion, means to flex said terminal portion and to shut off said conduit, and means to flux said conduit.

8. In a sander for vehicles, the combination of a flexible conduit for sand, said conduit having a flexible terminal portion, means to flex said terminal portion and to shut off said conduit, and means to displace said conduit laterally.

9. In a sander for vehicles, the combination of a conduit having a collapsible portion, and means to shut off said conduit by collapsing said collapsible portion to prevent escape of sand.

10. In a sander for vehicles, the combination of a conduit having a resilient, endwise collapsible terminal, and means to shut off said conduit by collapsing said collapsible terminal endwise.

FRANK H. MYSI-IRALL.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date De Witt May 30, 1893 Number 

